Chocolate Pumpkin Chili (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

Chili has always been a staple in my diet, ever since I was a kid. We lived on a farm when I was little, and I can remember my mother making huge batches of Texas-style chili to feed all of us, including some of the farmhands. I love the typical beef and bean chili, but it was something of a revelation to discover that there were other ways of making it. As an archaeological intern in Colorado, I visited some of the pueblo feast dances and was fed “real chili”, a thin green or red broth with small chunks of cubed pork, so spicy it would burn my mouth. The chili I had known growing up was considered “gringo chili”. And I was slightly horrified the first time I heard of chocolate chili, but one bite convinced me how wonderful chocolate could be in savoury dishes. It must be a measure of how far I’ve come with regards to chili, since the idea of putting pumpkin in chili didn’t phase me one little bit.

The idea of putting BOTH chocolate and pumpkin together in a chili came to me a few months ago. I was at a Boston Food Bloggers event back in September, hosted at Healthy Habits Kitchen. Healthy Habits is a new sort of food service in Wellesley, MA, that offers semi-prepared healthy meal kits for busy families. They also host food assembly parties, where private groups can take over their kitchen to put together freezer-friendly meals and enjoy a complimentary dinner in their lounge. It’s such an interesting idea, and I was certainly impressed by the execution of the meal kits during our tour. We were invited to bring our own wine and to taste several of the meals while we were there.

Their menu changes seasonally, and the fall menu contained both a Chocolate Chili and a Pumpkin Turkey Chili. Somehow, these two ideas fused in my head and I kept thinking about how to bring them together. Since I’d never made either, I had to do my research to figure out exactly what I wanted. I knew early on that I didn’t want pumpkin puree, as I thought that would get rather lost in the mix with the strength of the chocolate flavour. So I had to buy a pie pumpkin and roast it, so I could have nice cubes of pumpkin in the chili. I also found that most chocolate chili recipes contained both cocoa powder and unsweetened chocolate. A lot of them also contained sugar, but there wasn’t going to be any of that in my version, of course, and I really didn’t think it was necessary. I wanted some heat in mine, so I added some jalapeno and chili powder. But as I tasted, I knew it needed some spice that would complement the chocolate, so I added a touch of chipotle powder and cinnamon.

The Results: This is such a great variation on your typical chili, and it has a smoky, chocolatey flavour with a touch of sweetness from the pumpkin. It’s certainly hearty and rich, though, and I found it quite filling. I skipped adding any beans, because they add carbs, but you could certainly add some in the final stages of simmering to stretch it out more.

I had worried that the pumpkin chunks would become mushy when simmered for a while like that, but they didn’t. They were soft but retained their shape nicely and made for a chunkier dish, which I really enjoyed, especially in the absence of any beans.

Nutritional Disclaimer

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.
I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them.
I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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I wondered how you'd get past the beans thing and the pumpkin is a great idea. Strange as it sounds, I do like chocolate in savory goods. It changes flavor and is so, so rich and delicious. This looks perfect for a cold fall day after raking leaves. 🙂

What an interesting combination of flavors. I love the use of pumpkin in anything savory. Great idea. 🙂 I have never tried chocolate in chili (but I know it works well from what I hear). I must give it a go.

I love the addition of the chocolate and the pumpkin in your chili. I wouldn't miss the beans, either. It looks so good. My husband puts Mexican chocolate in his chili, but that has sugar in it. It does add another layer of flavor.thanks for sharing!

I love adding chocolate to chili – a riff on the classic mole dishes of Mexico!! The addition of pumpkin I am sure is fabulous and a great substitute for beans!! Fabulous dish all around and I can't wait to make it!

My dad grew up in New Mexico, so I grew up hating chili because it always burned all the way down my throat! It wasn't until much later in life I learned there were so many other ways of eating it. I've never tried one with chocolate, but I like chocolate in everything else, so why not?!

Very interessting combination of flavoures. I agree chocolate and chilli r a must try, I hadnt thought of adding pumpkin to the combi. I d love to try out your dish, your food photographie is giving me an appetite

I love the combination of chocolate and chile. And, fyi, Trader Joe's sells bags of peeled and cubed sweet potato or butternut squash, ready for roasting, and I think either would work well in this recipe.

What an unusual but delicious sounding chili recipe – I've never had chili with pumpkin or chocolate in it. Love the extra step you did in terms of roasting the pumpkin yourself instead of stirring in canned pureed pumpkin – I think the texture and flavor must have been well worth it.

I've heard of Chocolate Mole so why not Chocolate Chili? And what's wrong with gringo chili??? ha! ha! Haven't grown up in Texas, attended the University of Arizona, and now residing in San Diego, I've never heard of gringo chili?!

I think I am the first person to comment who actually made the chili. It sounded great, and easy to boot. I was really loving it until the end. I added the 2 oz of unsweetened chocolate and it seems all wrong. I'm afraid my husband will hate it. Either 2 oz is way too much or it should be sweetened. I've made chocolate chili before… This just doesn't taste good. The unsweetened choc killed all the other nice flavors.

I am so sorry you did not enjoy this. I loved it, but then, tastes differ. And as a diabetic, my taste for sweets has evolved, I find many things with sugar too sweet now. Could you perhaps add some sugar to it to make it to your liking?

I try to use what I have on hand and I needed a recipe that included ground meat and pumpkin…thus I just made this. Great idea to use pumpkin, even if I spinned it a little further, I used to use masa as my chili thickener (pre low carb), I had pureed pumpkin in the fridge, and the light bulb went off. I did use some of my chili spice mix (because it needs using) but made sure to add appropriate amounts of cinnamon, chipolte powder, and cocoa. I had some bell peppers that needed using so those were added and I used bacon fat and chicken stock, because I like the flavors and they are sitting in my fridge calling out to be used. Put it all in my crock pot, thanks for the versatile recipe! The spice ingredients are very similar to a lovely taco meat I make so I knew this would be good! I did omit the final chopped chocolate ingredient because I didn’t want to open a fresh bar, that would require me cooking more chocolate recipes soon and I just made your double chocolate muffins this AM- YUMMO!

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Looking for the best low carb recipes? You've come to the right place! I'm Carolyn, a major carnivore and an unrepentant sweet tooth. Here you will find all you need to enjoy the low carb keto lifestyle to the fullest! Read more